Stone Crab Season Closes Wednesday

TAMPA BAY – The commercial and recreational harvest of stone crab claws in Florida closes Wednesday (May 16), with the last day of harvest today (May 15).

Stone crab season will reopen on Oct. 15. This five-month closure occurs each year during the peak spawning season to help conserve and sustain Florida’s valuable stone crab resource.

Commercially harvested stone crab claws may be possessed and sold during the closed season, but only if they have been placed in inventory before Wednesday May 16 by a licensed wholesale or retail dealer.

Stone crab traps must be removed from the water within five days after the close of the stone crab season. Stone crab claws cannot be harvested from traps pulled after the season closes.

Learn more about thestone crab harvest season by going to MyFWC.com and clicking on “Saltwater Fishing,” and then either “Recreational Regulations” or “Commercial.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is gathering public input on the commercial and recreational stone crab fishery. Learn more at MyFWC.com.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.